Regenerator for furnaces.



F. ORTH REGBNERATOR FOR ruxmcns.

APPLIOATION FILED MAE.22,1913.- EEIIIJWED JULY 31. 1914.

Patented. Mar. 9, 11915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ORTH.

P. RE'G'ENERATOR FOR FURNACES. APPLICATION FILED MA R.22, 1913. RENEWED JULY 31,1914. l lfil fifii fim Patented M21119, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 F. ORTH. REGENERATOR FOR FURNACES. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1913. RENEWED JULY 31, 1914.

1 11 PatentedJ/Iar. 9, 1915.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3 F. ORTH. RBGENERATOR FOR FURNACES. APPLIOATION FILED MA1 1.22,1913. RENEWED JULY 31, 1914.-

1 ,g'wmm. Patented M31119, 1915.

4 SHBETSSHEET 4.

ii? %zzzar I f/F/Z". 0/270 UN @Trh FRANK 03TH, OF INDIANA HARBOR, INDIANA.

REGENERATOR FOR FURNACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 9, i915.

Application filed March 22, 1913, Serial No. 756,167. Renewed July 31, 1914. Serial No. 854,391.

To zZl whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK OnTH, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Indiana Harbor, in the county of Lake and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Regenerators for Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has reference to certainiin-proveincnts in regcnerators or heaters for furnaces such as reverheratory, or open hearth, or blast furnaces, in which it is desirable to heat the gases and air before they are forced into the furnace proper. These regeneratorswork on the principle of storing up during one portion of a cycle the waste heat which is carried off in the burned gases, so that said heat will afterward be available for heating the air and gas which is fed into the furnaces during another por tion of the cycle. These regenerators generally comprise one or more chambers completely or partially filled with a checker work of fire brick or the like. so that a large amount of heat may be stored Within a comparatively small space.

As above stated, these regenerators are for the purpose of storing up waste heat of the burned gases. For this purpose it is custom ary to so connect one or more regenerators to each furnace that during a po tion of the cycle the burned gases pass from the furnace through the regenera tor in question for a desired interval of time, during which interval the checker Work of the regenerator stores up heat from the burned gases, after which the operation is reversed and the air or fuel gas-is sent backward through the .regenerator into the furnaces so that said air and gas will absorb or takesup heat from the previously heated checker work, s6 that said air and gases will enter the furnaces at the desired temperature. ()wing to the comparatively heavy draft which is used inoperations of this character, and owingto the nature of the material in the furnaces, generally being ores, coke and the like, a consider able amount of dust is carried over by the draft and will find its way into the. regenerators. This difficulty is very marked in furnaces which are used for the reduction of in n ores in open hearth furnaces, for (X- amplc, where there is a considerable quantity of hue material which is readily picked up and carried along by the extremely heavy drafts used in such furnaces. On account of the presence of this dust, commonly known as flue dust, in the gases, it has here tofore been the experience that the checker work in the regenerators would become rapidly choked or clogged by the settling of the flue dust thereon, so that after a time it becomes necessary to clean off this dust from the checker work or to suffer a very material reduction in the eiiiciency and effectiveness of the regenerator in its work. On account of the fact that the fine dust is of very high specific gravity, and on account of the great velocity of the gases which are traveling under :1 very large draft. it is found that the fine dust rapidly cakes onto the upper surfaces of the various courses of brick and will even be carried down into'the body of the checker work, where it is extremely diflicult to get at for cleaning purposes. This caking tendency is very greatly enhanced by the high temperatures present'in the regenera-\ tor, which temperatures are frequently so. high as to soften the fire brick, so that the flue dust will stick to or even penetrate into the brick and be glazed thereto. For the above reasons it is very diflicult and sometimes practically impossible to thoroughly clean the flue dustfrom the checker work, so

that, as a general rule, it is necessary to shut down the regenerators during a considerable interval of time in order to allow them to cool sufficiently for workmen to enter them so that they can get at the checker work for cleaning purposes. This fact makes the cost of cleaning very high, not only because of the difficulty of removing the dust from the checker work but also because of the time lost in allowing the furnaces and regenerators to cool.

i The' main object of this invention-ie to provide suitable receptacles or pockets or bafies'or the like for collecting the flue dust at a convenient point or points so that'it will not gain. access to the checker Work at all but will he collected before it reaches the same; also to so arrange these collecting pockets or deflectors that the dust which is caught may be readily removed through suitable openings or the like without the necessity of allowing the furnaces and regem erators to cool, it being unnecessary to remove the draft a suflicient length of time to permitthe doors or other openings to be opened during an interval of time sufficient to remove the dust.

Another object of the invention is to so arrange the aforementioned bafiles or deflectors or the like that the total heating surface or mass of the regenerator will not be rethe invention is to provide a. construction inv which the total mass orbody-ofheat absorbing material is divided into two parts through; or adjacent to which, the gases pass insuccession so that the hot gases coming from the flue. will first be. chilled a slight amount by contact with the first body of heat absorbing material after which the gases will encounter the second body of heat absorbing material at somewhat reduced temperature.

Another object in this connection -is to provide one or more receptacles for fine dust in the first mentioned bodyof heat absorbing material so that as the gases pass over into or adjacent to the second body of heat absorbing material they will not only be at somewhat reduced temperature, but will have the major portion of their fine dust removed. 1

Still another object of the invention is, to provide such a relationship between the two bodies of heat absorbing material that the gases will enter each of them throughout substantially its entire area or cross section, thereby insuring a substantially uniform distribution of the gases during their passage through the heat absorbing structures.

Another object of the invention is to so arrange the various elements or parts that a practically uniform distribution of the gases in their passage through the checker work may be secured, thereby working all portions of the checker work up to their maximum efliciency and obtaining the maximum heating effect from a regenerator of given $128..

[Other objects and uses of the invention will appear from a, detailed description of the same, which consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed. a

In the drawings, Figure'l shows a planview of a reverberatory furnace equipped with its usual complement or battery of regenerators; Fig. 2 shows a vertical longitudinal section through'a regenerator containing the improvements, of the present invention. and it shows the preferred form or construction of said improvements; Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. t is a sectiontaken on the line 44 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 shows a vertical longitudinal section through a regenerator incorporating a modified form of my improvements; Figfit shows a vertical longitudinal section through: regenen'ator incorporating a secondmodification of my improvements; Fig. 7 shows a vertical longitudinal section through a construction of regenerator including a third modification of my improvements; Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken on the line 88 of Fig. 7, looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. ,9 is a horizontal section of a construotion similar to that of Fig. 8 with the exception that the cleaning troughs'are run longitudinally of the regenerator instead of transversely thereof.

As previously stated, in carrying out my invention I provide a series of bafiles, deflectors or the like for catching the flue dust before the gases gain access to the checker work, so that the flue dust may be readily removed without the necessity of cleaning the checker work itself.

' In the drawings I have shown a number of different constructions of regcnerator, each one of which incorporates the funda mental features of my invention, but it will be readily apparent from a study of the various constructions that the invention is nowise limited to the constructions illustrated, but that many other arrangements may be adopted without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In Fig. 1 Ihave shown in outline the usual relative arrangements of a reverberatory furnace and its complement of regenerators. However, it will be understood that the features of my invention may be used in reghnerators for any desired purposes, and that they are not restricted to regenerators used in connection with reverberatory furnaces.

In Fig. l the reverberatory is designated" by the numeral 10. At each endthcrc are provided a pair of regenerators 11 and 12, usually of different sizes. During one portion of the heating cycle air and gas are directed into the reverberatory through the regenerators at one end and they pass out from the rcverberatory through the regenerators at the other end, while during the other portion of the cycle the operation is reversed so that those regenerators which were heated by the outgoing gases during the first portion 'of the operation give up their heat to the incoming gases during the second portion of the operation. It is customary to provide a separate rcgenerator the checker work communicates by a flue 14 with the furnace, while a passage-way 15 communicates either with the outside air or with the fuel gas, depending upon the particular operation. There are generally provided small spaces both above and below the checker work, so as to permit the gases to find their way through all portions of the checker work; but as a rule the sizes of. such spaces are made comparatively small for the purpose of saving in size of the regenerator. V

In carrying into effect the features ofmy invention I provide suitable constructions in the regenerator at a point between the flueand the checker work so that the flue dust will be readily caught and retained.

On account of the high velocity of the gases as they enter the regenerator, and on account of the high specific gravity of the flue dust itself, there is a tendency for the,

flue dust to resist any change in its direction of movement,'sothat in case the gases are deflected or forced to change their direction there will be a tendency for the flue dust to continue traveling in its initial di rection, and it may therefore be readily trapped by the provision of bafiles or the like for changing the directions of the gases before they enter the checker work.

Intorder to accomplish the above results to the greatest possible advantage, and in order to be able to trap the flue dust with a minimum number of changes in the direction of the gases, I have found it desirable to allow the gases to'expand rapidly as they enter the regenerator, so that their velocity in traveling through a fine of comparatively small cross section will suddenly give way to volume as they enter the regenerator. For this purpose I provide a comparatively large space 16-above the checker work, or at fglny rate between the checker work and the In the particular arrangement shown in Fig. 1 I have provided a number of slanting bafi'ie walls or partitions 17. communicating with the lower end of'which is a transverse channel or trough 18, which has a lip 0r ledge 19 sothat the flue dust which is caught against the baffle wall or in the channel will be retained and will not carry over the edge of the lip 19. As the gases generator from the flue they will distribute throughout the space 16 but are caused to change their direction sharply in order to gain access to the checker work. To accom-- the bafile plish this result I carry each of walls 17 forward a sufiicient distance, either on the slant or in the form of a horizontal extension 20, so that the forward edge of said extension will lie substantially above the corresponding lip 19, thus making it necessary for the gases to turn suddenly through an angle of considerably more than enter the re:

' 90 degrees in order to pass between the lower surface of a baflle and the corresponding lip. The natural tendency, therefore, is for the heavy flue dust to continue its travel and to be projected against the slanting battle walls 17, whence it will fall or may be readily scraped into the corresponding channel 18. For the purpose of facilitating the removal of the dust from the various channels, I provide doors 21 in the side walls and ends of the channels so that the dust may be readily scraped or drawn out without the necessity of actually entering the interior of the regenerator.

For the purpose of supporting the various ballles and channels, I cary a series of vertical walls 22 up from the checker work, said walls extending in av longitudinal direction and being spaced apart a suitable distance, as is clearly illustrated in Figs. 3 and i. As a general rule said walls may be formed as vertical extensions of the longitudinal courses of the checker work, although it is not necessary to adopt such construction and any other suitable form may be adopted. As a general proposition, however, the walls should not continue up from consecutive brick rows but alternate rows should be skipped so as to provide a considerable distance or space between each pair of longitudinal walls. This form of construction is desirable for the purpose of insuringa better equalization and distribution of the gases as they pass into the upper portion of the checker work, and its desirability will readily be appreciated from an examination of Fig 4, wherein thespaces 23 are provided bylplacing the walls -a suitable dista nce apart.

As a general proposition there would be a tendency for the flue'dust to collect in greater quantities on those bames close up to the flue than 011 those farther away therefrom, unless some means or provision were taken to insure against such action. F urthermore, this tendency would be accompanied by a tendency for the gases to concentrate in certain portions of the checker work. In the present .construction, however, I have guarded against both of these contingencies by raising the bafiies to suecessively greater, heights, according to their distance from the flue 14:, the baflle which is farthest from the flue height while that which is closest to the flue is of least height.

In Fig. 5 the battles and passages are so arranged that there is a tendency for practically all of the flue dust to concentrate or collect in a single pocket, although other pockets are provided for catching whatever dust may be carried over beyond the same; In this case the incoming gases are directed first against a depending baffle wall 24:, the lower end of which connects to a being of greatest channel arch or the like 25, extending across the regenerator and communicating with a door .26 at one end. A lip 27 is provided on this arch to assist in collecting the dust. In order for the gases to gain access to the checker Work it is necessary for them to pass down through a passage-way 28 and beneath the channel arch 25, up through a passage-way 29 and over a second baflie wall 30. The passage-way beneath the channel arch is provided with a transverse partition 31, which really constitutes a comparatively broadtrough and will therefore serve to collect a portion of whatever dust may be carried over, so that it is desirable to provide a door 32 for removing the dust from i said trough. In case a still further quantity of dust is carried over even'beyond the baffle 30, the same may be collected in a channel 33 at the lower end of said baffle, a door 34 being provided for such channel. The construction justdescribed presents the advantage that the checker work may be carried up to a greater elevation in the regenerator than is possible in the previously described arrangement, but it should be noted that in such previously described arrangement there is a greater quantity of material in the baflle walls and channels,

which material will, of course, serve to a large extent for the absorption of heat.

The arrangement illustrated in Fig. 6 is similar in many respects to that illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4:, the main difference being that the baffle walls 35ers vertical instead of lying on slant as in the previously described construction. I desire, also, to call attention to the fact that in the present case the baffle walls are all carried to the same elevation, but that in order to provide pockets of capacity proportioned to the probable amount of dust which will be collected in each pocket I space the bafiles at the incoming end farther apart than those.

farthest from the flue, so that the channel 36 is of considerably greater width than the channel 37.

The arrangement shown in vertical section in-Fig. 7 is shown in horizontal or plane section in Fi S. In this case a horizontal partition 38 serves to divide the checker work off from a space in the upper portionof the regcnerator, which space communicates directly with the flue. Beneath the partition 38 are a number of transverse channels 40, which are provided with end doors l1 for cleaning purposes. Vertical transverse partitions l2 connect the channels with the partition 38, and the partition 38 is pro vided with a number of equally spaced holes or openings 43 which give access between the space 39 and the channel 40 in ques tion. ()pcnings 44 in the vertical partitions ,42 provide communication between the several ehezmels and the spaces e5 between consecutive channels. These spaces 45 communicate directly with the checker work or with spaces leading to the checker work, so that the channels are placed in communication with the checker work through the medium of the openings 44.

Each pair of side walls 42 has its corresponding openings 44 spaced opposite to each other, as shown in Fig. 8, but said openings are offset from the corresponding perforation 43 so that as the gases pass down from the space 39 into the channel they must also move lengthwise of the channel a certain distance in order to find the corre sponding openings 4-4: through which they will pass ,to the checker work. From the above it will be seen that in passing from the space 39 to the checker Work the gases must turn through approximately four rightangle bends, thusiinsuring a very effective and thorough removal of the flue dust.

The arrangement shown in plane section in Fig. 9 issimilar to that just described, the only difference being that the channels are run lengthwise of the regenerator instead. of transversely as in the arrangement of Figs. 7 and 8.

It will be seen from the foregoing disclosures that in each one of the several arrangements herein illustrated and described the entire body or mass of heat absorbing material is divided into two portions which may be termed a primary portion and a secondary portion. It will be seen also that in each case the gases coming from the flue first encounter and pass through or adjacent to the primary portion. They are therefore chilled to a certain extent before they encounter the secondary portion. It frequently happens that the temperature of the gases coming from the flue and that of the heat absorbing material is so high that as the particles of flue dust strike or impinge against the checker work they fuse to the same so that it becomes practically impossible to remove them. However, by chilling the gases to some extent by first passing them through a primary body of heat absorbing material they will encounter the secondary body of heat absorbing material at such a comparatively reduced temperature that the aforementioned difficulty or objection will be done away with.

The aforementioned tendency of the flue dust to stick or fuse to the heat absorbing material is dependent not only upon the temperature of the flue gases, but also upon their velocity. \Vhen traveling at high velocity they tend to drive the particles of llue dust into the surface of the heat absorbing material. It will be noted that in each case I have provided a chamber or space of comparatively large cross section above or in advance of the primary body of heat absorbing material so that the velocity of the ga'ses as they encountersuch body is com-- paratively reduced. It therefore follows that the tendency of the flue dust to stick or fuse to the primary body is reduced notwithstanding the fact that the temperature of the flue gases has not yet been reduced. It therefore follows that provision has been made for reducing or preventing the aforementioned sticking or fusing tendency for both the primary and secondary bodies for the primary body by reduction of gas velocity, and for the secondary body by a reduction of temperature. It will also be seen that in each of the herein disclosed arrangements provision has been made for se curing a substantially uniform distribution of the gases as they enter the secondary body of heat absorbing material so that the heat absorbing efliciency or capability of the same is made as large as possible.

Although I have herein described only a few diflerent constructions embodying features of my invention, ,still it will be understood that I contemplate within the scope of my invention any suitable arrangement of baflles or the like forcausing the gases to be deflected in. their course of travel before they gain access to the checker work, so as to cause a precipitation of the flue dust into pockets or the like from which it can be readily removed.

I desire to call'particular attention to the 'fact that by the provision of means or constructions, whereby the flue dustv is collected and prevented from gaining access to the checker work, I obviate the necessity of' cleaning out said checker work during the life of the furnace. Also by making these. collecting devices of sufficient capacity,

which can be readily done, I am enabled to collect all of the flue dust which would normally be carried over during an entire campaign of heats. For these reasons an equipment including these flue dust collecting devices can be operated far more economically than is otherwise the case, because the shutting down of the furnace for the purpose of cleaning out the checker work entails a large loss by reason of thefact that the furnace must stand idle during the cleaning process, besides the loss occasioned in the expense of carrying on the cleaning operation itself. In other words, by the reason of the dust collecting devices the regenerator may be used during the entire life of the furnace without the necessity of shutting down for purposes of cleaning out.

I claim:

1. In a regenerator or the like, the combination with a suitable heat-absorbing structure and an inlet flue or conduit, of a receptacle for flue dust, interposed between the upper portion of the heat-absorbing structure and the flue, and means independent of ture, said partitions being interposed in consecutive order between the heat absorbing structure and theinlet flue or conduit, and serving to provide a plurality of receptacles for flue dust and deflectors for abruptly changing the direction of movement of flue gases incoming from the flue to cause them to precipitate their suspended flue dust intosuch receptacles, substantially as described. I 3. In a regenerator or the like, the combination with a suitable heat absorbing structure, an inclosing structure for the same serving to provide a relatively large chamber above the heat absorbing structure, and an inlet flue or conduit communicating with said relatively large chamber, of a plurality of partitions within said chamber serving to provide receptacles for flue dust or the like, and partitions interposed in consecutive order between the heat absorbing structure and the inlet flue or conduit for abruptly changing the direction of movement of gases incoming from the flue within'said chamber for the purpose of causing them to precipitate suspended flue dust into said receptacles, substantially as described.

4. In a regenerator or the like, the com bination with a suitable heat absorbing structure, an inclosing structure surrounding the same and serving to provide an expansion chamber above the heat absorbing structure, and an inlet flue communicating with said chamber, of partitions Within said chamber and between the inlet flue and the heat absorbing structure serving to provide receptacles in consecutive order between the inlet flue or conduit and the heat absorbing struc ture for the reception of flue dust or the 'like, and means for precipitating flue dust from the gases incoming from the flue into said receptacles before the gases reach the heat absorbing structure, substantially as described.

5. In a regenerator or the like, the combination with a heat absorbing structure, an inclosing structure surrounding the same, and an inlet flue or conduit, of a plurality of receptacles for flue dust or the like, there being an opening in the inclosing structure in communication with each of said receptacles, and a baflie wallor deflector corresponding to each receptacle and interposed between the inlet flue and the heat absorbing structure for the purpose of. precipitat ing flue dust or the like from gases incoming from the flue into said receptacles before the gases reach the heat absorbing structure, said baflie Walls or deflectors ranging in size according to their distance from the inlet flue, substantially as described.

6. In a regenerator or the like, the combi nation with a heat absorbing structure, an inclosing structure surrounding the same, and an inlet flue of given size, oi -a plurality of partitions Within-the inclosingstructure interposed between the inlet flueand the heat absorbing structure and serving to provide a chamber between the inlet flue and the nation with a heat absorbing structure, an

inclosing structure surrounding the same, and an inlet flue communicating with said heat absorbing structure, of a lurality of partitions extending vertically fli'om the upper portion of the checker-work, and a plurality of deflectors or the like supported by said partitions and interposed between the checker-work and the inlet flue, substantially as described.

8. In a regenerator or the like, the combination With a heat absorbing checker-Work, an inclosing structure surrounding the same,- and an inlet flue, of a plurality of longitudinally extending partitions supported by the checker-work and providing longitudinally extending spaces above the same, and a plurality of baffle walls supported by said partitions and interposed between the checkerwork and the inlet flue, substantially as described.

9. In a regenerator or the like,-the combination with a heat absorbing structure, an inclosing structure surrounding the same, and an inlet flue or conduit, of a plurality of receptacles for flue dust or the like, interposed between the inlet flue or conduit and the heat-absorbing structure, there being an opening in the inelosing structure in communication with each of said receptacles, anda baflie wall or deflector corresponding to each receptacle and interposed between the inlet flue and the heat-absorbing structure, for the purpose of precipitating flue dust or the like from gases incoming from the line into said receptacles before the gases reach the heat-absorbing structure."

10. In a regenerator or the like, the combination with a heat-absorbing structure, an

inclosing structure surrounding the same, and an inlet flue or conduit, of a plurality of receptacles for flue dust or the like, interposed between the inlet flue or conduit and the heat-absorbing structure, there being an opening in the inclosing structure in com munication with each of said receptacles, and means adjacent to each receptacle and between the inlet flue and the heat-absorbing structure, for abruptly changing the direc tion of movement of gases incoming from the flue adjacent to the receptacles, for the purpose of precipitating flue dust into the receptacles before the gases reach the heatabsorbing structure.

11. In a regenerator or the like, the combination with a heat absorbing structure, and an inlet flue or conduit, of an inclosing structure surrounding the heat absorbing structure and serving to provide a gas distribution space over the entire upper surface of the heat absorbing structureya receptacle for flue dust or the like interposed between the flue and the heat absorbing structure, and means for causing flue gases to abruptly change their direction of movement adjacent to said receptacle for the purpose of depositing flue dust therein.

12. In a regenerator or the like, the combination with a heat absorbing structure and an inlet flue or conduit, of 'an inclosing structure surrounding the heat absorbing structure and serving to provide a gas distribution space over the eritne upper surface of the heat absorbing structure, a receptacle for flue dust or the like interposed between the flue and the gas distribution space, and means for causing gases incoming from the flue to abruptly, change their direction of movement adjacent to said receptacle.

13. In a regenerator or the like, the combination with an inclosing structure, of upper andlower heat absorbing structures mounted within the same, there being a plurality of horizontal gas distribution passages above the lower heat absorbing structure, and'there being a plurality of vertical passages leading through the upper heat ahsorbing structure into the horizontal gas distribution passages, and there being a gas distribution space extending over substantially the entire upper surface of the upper heat absorbing structure, and an inlet flue or'conduit adapted to deliver hot gases to said space, whereby incoming hot gases initially enter said space and pass downward adjacent the upper heat absorbing structure through the vertical passages'into the horizontal gas distribution passages, to be initially chilled by the upper heat absorbing structure, and whereby said gases pass from the horizontal gas distribution passages uniformly into the upper portion of the lower heat absorbing structure. I

14. In a regenerator the combination With primary and secondary heat absorbing structures, of a common inclosing strueture surrounding the same and serving to provide a gas expansion chamber in advance of the primary heat absorbing structure, an inlet flue or conduit communicating with said expansion chamber to deliver flue gas into the same, the expansion chamber being of greater cross section than the inlet flue or conduit, whereby incoming flue gases expand into said chamber to have their velocity there re duced prior to encountering the primary heat absorbing structure, there being a gas distribution space between the primary and secondary heat absorbing structures, Whereby .gases delivered from the primary heat FRANK ORTH. Witnesses THOMAS A. BANNING, J12, WM. P. BOND.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

. Washington, D. 0." 

